Before we present the video of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s ominous elbow, for which the 40-year-old star was sent off by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg in the 61st minute of the Ireland-Portugal match – after VAR, let’s take a look at the standings of Group F in the European zone of the World Cup qualifiers:
1. Portugal 10 (11–6), 2. Hungary 8 (9–7), 3. Ireland 7 (6–5), 4. Armenia 3 (2–10)
Suddenly, the situation became very close, and in an extreme case, it may even happen that Portugal will be forced into a qualifier, i.e. an alternate qualifier. All that is needed for this is that they do not defeat the already relegated Armenians in Lisbon on Sunday, while Hungary wins over Ireland in the Puskás Arena.
In the case of a Hungarian victory and a Portuguese defeat, the formula is simple: with 11 points, the national team of national team captain Marco Rossi is the group winner, thus an automatic World Cup participant ahead of Portugal with 10 points.
If Hungary wins and Portugal draws, then there will be a tie at the top of the group and aggregate goal difference will decide. At the moment, the Portuguese have a +5 goal difference, ours +2, so if we beat the Irish by, say, three goals, and the Iberians lose to the Armenians by one goal, then the Hungarians are the group winners. If the goal difference is the same, then the more scored goals will decide, if they are even, then the head-to-head result will take place. At home, we lost to the Portuguese, and as guests we played with them.
Ad absurdum, however, even Ireland can win the group if they beat Hungary a lot (God forbid!), and the Portuguese will lose a lot to the already eliminated Armenians, but the chances of this scenario are almost zero given the balance of power.
And now let’s see the elbowing that got Cristiano Ronaldo the first red card of his life in the national team:
This elbow could cost Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup matches. He was expelled, and if FIFA considers his action as aggression, it can give him a 2 or 3-game suspension. Portugal only has one official left, so they would have to pay in the World Cup pic.twitter.com/oYsuWshCob
— Martín del Palacio (@martindelp) November 13, 2025
The 40-year-old star was suspended for the first time in his 226th international match. However, he has already received thirteen red cards in club matches.
Ronaldo swallowed the penalty with difficulty, rubbing his eyes on the way down, indicating that the Irish defender Dara O’Shea, who took the elbow in the back, was heavily simulating the incident like a whining baby. He then mockingly applauded the Aviva Stadium crowd as the spectators chanted “Messi! Messi!” they annoyed the Portuguese with shouts. When Ronaldo reached the coastline, he even got into a heated argument with the Irish national team captain, Heimir Hallgrímsson.
The red card could have serious consequences for Cristiano Ronaldo, who could be banned for up to three games for the offence. It is already certain that he will not be able to play against Armenia on Sunday, but if his suspension banishes him from several matches, while Portugal is forced to play in the alternate qualifiers, then his game will also be in question.
If the Portuguese qualify for the World Cup as group winners, the veteran may miss the first two group matches of the World Cup, depending on how many matches he misses, given that his suspension applies to betting matches.
World Cup 2026, European qualifiers
Group F, Round 5
Round 6 (Sunday, November 16)
- Hungary-Ireland 15.00
- Portugal-Armenia 15.00
(Cover photo: Cristiano Ronaldo on November 13, 2025. Photo: Liam McBurney / PA Images / Getty Images)
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